Research Into Transition Types

To make our video look more professional we are going to use shot transitions where appropriate so our video has a good flow from one clip to the next.

The definition of a transition is a visual effect that is used to carry along or to change the transition between two clips or images. I have researched the basic transitional effects that are available on Final Cut and have listed them below.

Dissolves:

These transitions are Additive Dissolve, Cross Dissolve, Dither dissolve, Fade In, Fade Out, Non-Additive Dissolve, and Ripple Dissolve. Dissolve is the most commonly used transition. These transitions morph the image into something else by gradually erasing what was there before hand. I believe this would be suitable for use in our video.

QuickTime:

The 13 QuickTime transitions are Alpha Compositor, Chroma Key, Cross Fade, Explode, Gradient Wipe, Implode, Iris, Matrix wipe, Push, Radial, Slide, Wipe, and Zoom. QuickTime has its own selection on effects. Cross fades are used in videos to create a soft yet ghostly effect between clips. Other transitions however are a little too overpowering to be used. 

3D Simulations:

These transitions are Cross Zoom, Cube Spin, Spin 3D, Spinback 3D, Swing, and Zoom. They are used to create a large impact between clips, to catch the attention or to give off a somewhat futuristic or humorous feel to the audience. Such a transition style would not be suitable for our music video as it is too bold and would ruin the emotion we are trying to create through the visuals.

Page Peel:

Page peel is literally as its name states, the first clip feels away like a page to reveal the second clip. Such an effect could possibly be used in conjunction with the flash backs in our narrative, however it is still a little too bold to be placed within our video.

Wipe:

These transitions include Band wipe, Center Wipe, Checker Wipe, Checkerboard Wipe, Clock Wipe, Edge Wipe, Gradient Wipe, Inset Wipe, Jaws Wipe, Random Edge Wipe, V Wipe, Venetian Blind Wipe, Wrap Wipe, and Zigzag Wipe. Wipes are different to dissolves, they do not blend in the transition process. Although, they are not as subtle as dissolves, so would not be suitable for our video as we dont want the transitions to overpower the narrative. Wipes are often used in family memory or home video editing, again as they provide a somewhat comic aspect.

Slide:

These transitions are Band slide, Box slide, Center Split slide, Multi-Spin slide, Push slide, Spin slide, Split slide, and Swap slide.

Stretch and Squeeze:

These transitions are Cross Stretch, Squeeze, Squeeze and Stretch, and Stretch. Using these transitions makes the clips look rather distorted, so would be inappropriate to use in a video of our genre and the narrative we want to create, as they will stretch the faces and backgrounds of clips to something more bizzarre looking.